HomeHomehttp://www.zentriathlon.com/home/2012-05-23T00:10:13ZSquarespacePodcast-"Interview with Rich Roll"http://www.zentriathlon.com/home/2012/5/21/podcast-interview-with-rich-roll.htmlZenTri2012-05-22T02:46:20Z2012-05-22T02:46:20Z
to help support the team's fundraiser drive for St. Jude's Children's Hospital!
Want more? Hop over to the Zen Masters Area for the full training log, the solo interview with Nate Pearson, and much more!
Enjoy!
]]>Getting Faster in the Poolhttp://www.zentriathlon.com/home/2012/5/12/getting-faster-in-the-pool.htmlZenTri2012-05-12T11:50:54Z2012-05-12T11:50:54ZI found this today while doing research on tempo trainers for the pool. Very simple and truthful advice -
Swimming is the OPPOSITE of running. In running your cadence remains virtually constant, yet your stride length increases as your speed increases. In swimming, your stroke rate increases as your speed increases, and your distance per stroke remains constant.
Do a set of hundreds (say 10) where you count the total number of strokes per hundred. Keep that number constant and descend your pace. Once you get to the point where you can't descend anymore or where you have to start to take more strokes, then you have found the point where you breakdown. Do lots of training at this pace. You will get faster.
Many people I see that swim slowly are literally swimming too slowly. Their turnover rate is like a film stuck in slow motion. If you simply pick up your cadence, you will be very pleased with the results. Fast triathletes swim at a cadence of 60 to 75 strokes per minute. Measure youself and give it a try!
If you eat big meals, you can go up to an hour with no nutrition. If you plan on going over an hour, then you definitely want to take in nutrition. If you don't, then you are not working out to your potential. How much is your time worth? Is it worth so little that you want to just be wasting it working out at half your potential when you could be doing something else? Definitely not!
So, always bring fuel when going longer. Depending on body size, people can tolerate 200 to 350 calories per hour. Start early and spread it out and you will have amazing workouts!
]]>Podcast- Interview with Nate Pearson of TrainerRoad.comhttp://www.zentriathlon.com/home/2012/5/7/podcast-interview-with-nate-pearson-of-trainerroadcom.htmlZenTri2012-05-08T01:31:29Z2012-05-08T01:31:29Z
Join us as we talk with Nate Pearson, co-founder of the ground-breaking bike training site TrainerRoad.com. Nate tells us how the program began, how it works, and where it is headed in the future.
After that, Morgan hops in to tell us all about the tech behind carbon fiber. So, it's basically plastic? Find out in his tech segment.
Megan joins us after Morgan to tell us her recipe for healthy pancakes and more entertainment.
The show wraps up with yet another epic installment of The Training Log.
to help support the team's fundraiser drive for St. Jude's Children's Hospital!
Want more? Hop over to the Zen Masters Area for the full training log, the solo interview with Nate Pearson, and much more!
Enjoy!
]]>Podcast- Interview with Emilio DeSotohttp://www.zentriathlon.com/home/2012/4/24/podcast-interview-with-emilio-desoto.htmlZenTri2012-04-24T19:00:00Z2012-04-24T19:00:00Z
Join us as we talk with one of the legends of triathlon, Emilio DeSoto. He tells us about his history in the sport, how triathlon has changed over the years, and gives us tips on how to train and race at our best.
After that, Morgan hops in to tell us all about neoprene. What is it made of? How does it work? What kind is best for you? Find out in his tech segment.
Megan joins us after Morgan to give us a killer sushi recipe and more entertainment.
The show wraps up with yet another epic installment of The Training Log.
Want more? Hop over to the Zen Masters Area for the full training log, Megan dishing on her incredibly succesful race nutrition and much more.
Enjoy!
]]>Podcast- "Ironman Texas 70.3 in Galveston"http://www.zentriathlon.com/home/2012/4/12/podcast-ironman-texas-703-in-galveston.htmlZenTri2012-04-12T15:07:58Z2012-04-12T15:07:58Z
Join us as we go down to Galveston, TX and race against Lance Armstrong! This show is chock-full of training and racing audio and tips from the once-in-a-lifetime event.
Also, Megan joins us for another healthy recipe and there is tons of great info in The Training Log.
Enjoy!
]]>Podcast - Master Your Domainhttp://www.zentriathlon.com/home/2012/3/31/podcast-master-your-domain.htmlZenTri2012-03-31T12:35:32Z2012-03-31T12:35:32Z
We're on our way to the big Galveston race against Lance! Here's the link to the show and we'll get more up here shortly!
]]>Zones, Carbs, and "The Blower"http://www.zentriathlon.com/home/2012/3/29/zones-carbs-and-the-blower.htmlZenTri2012-03-29T11:45:00Z2012-03-29T11:45:00Z
Zones are on a scale of 1 to 5. If you know your LT, there are online calculators that can tell you your zones. Zone 1 is recovery and just barely moving forward, (but feels good!), Zone 2 is faster than that, but slower than when you start huffing a little for breath, Zone 3 is huffing for air but not really straining, Zone 4 is straining, Zone 5 is sprinting for your life.
The huffing for air in Zone 3 is interesting. What's happening there is your body has outreached its potential to convert potential energy (fat and some carbs) into motion on its own without outside help. The huffing for air is like a race car turning on it's blower to fan the flames to make them hotter. When you do that, you're now turning on the carb turbo-burner and eventually going to overheat the system and wreck it in the long term for short term gains if you leave the blower on too long.
The blower effect aids in the burning of carbs. It gives the body extra oxygen which helps burn carbs in a chemical reaction, like fanning a fire to make the flames hotter and higher. It also feels really good - and that's the trap. That chemical reaction releases endorphins, which makes you want to do it more. Average athletes train in this zone all the time because it feels so good. But then they burn through their carbs and also over-work their bodies so they never get the chance to recover enough to make any real improvements. What works best is to do lots of Zone 1 and 2 to work on form and base fitness through volume, then small doses of zones 3-5 to stress the body just enough to make it grow back stronger when resting or just doing zone 1.
The big takeaway? When you're huffing at all, you've got your blower on and just turned up the heat and are burning through carbs like crazy. It feels good and fast, so your perspective on what is going on gets skewed and you think that it's fine and want to spend more time in that zone than you should. As Admirial Akbar says, "It's a trap!" Besides, you're burning around 600 calories per hour in zone 3 and you can only digest 200-400, so you have limited fuel for this kind of behavior. You eventually bonk, and then the body starts eating muscle for fuel and that REALLY hurts and takes weeks to recover from. Not smart.
If you are supposed to be out on a recovery or Zone 2 run and you start huffing for air, don't fall into the trap. That's why Zone 2 is also known as "conversational pace." You can't talk when having to interrupt yourself to huff for air.
Stay safe and keep the rubber side down.
Brett Blankner is a USAT Certified triathlon coach that specializes in making you faster and stronger through D3 Multisport.
]]>Podcast- "All In The Family"http://www.zentriathlon.com/home/2012/3/24/podcast-all-in-the-family.htmlMegan2012-03-24T19:00:00Z2012-03-24T19:00:00Z
This episode of the ZenTri Podcast has our new "Tech Segment" and nutrition updates! Morgan talks with us about how ANT and ANT+ works and also gives us the lowdown on the Wahoo Fitness Key and the SwiMP3.
As usual, the show is wrapped up with a full hour of my own training tips as I take you with me on my workouts. I talk about nutrition, pacing, gear, and much more. Listen in and enjoy!
]]>Yoga for Runners Cyclists and Triathletes - Shoulders, Hips, Psoas Yoga Sequencehttp://www.zentriathlon.com/home/2012/3/20/yoga-for-runners-cyclists-and-triathletes-shoulders-hips-pso.htmlMegan2012-03-20T13:22:34Z2012-03-20T13:22:34ZWe are very excited to have the following guest post by Fred Williams, an experienced triathlete and yoga instructor residing in Austin, TX. This is the second post of a series we will be doing, the first post can be found here. You can find out more about Fred at his website. Enjoy!
